How to deal with drug shortages

The word ‘drug’ is not in common language of the country. I mean, in common everyday language because of late, this precious commodity has been missing in many of our hospitals and health centres.

When I was younger, one could not use the word ‘drug’ without being thought as talking about those illicit chemicals people eat, drink or smoke to calm your nerves or make your head spin.

One would normally think of cocaine, heroin and things like that when talking about drugs. Don’t ask me why, but I have heard it more than once that individuals found with marijuana or chamba have been arrested, tried and convicted for being in possession of a “narcotic” drug. Let me state that while the police refers to chamba as a narcotic, the pharmacist refers to chamba as a hallucinogen. The chemist swears by his god and is willing to be put in jail for life. But the chemist wonders why on earth we have called chamba a narcotic drug instead of a hallucinogen.

I have just been thinking that if I became president of this country, one thing I would surely do every day is the following: I would wake up as I normally do about 4:30 am. Take a bath, eat something and watch cartoons for some good 30 minutes. I am talking about cartoons such as Maya and Miguel, Dora or the various versions of Garfield. Thereafter, I would be ready for another 30 minutes meeting with a principal secretary.

I would make it a point that each day of the month, I had one PS meeting with me. After all, there are like over 20 ministries, which makes it possible that I could meet with one PS once a month. The reason is simple: the PSs are running government departments on my behalf. There is very little chance that I will make reasonable, sustainable and meaningful decisions without the advice and cooperation of the PS. Unless, of course, I made the mistake of getting a wrong PS in the first place.

There are offers from people from all around the world to help our health system in many things. People have come to train our health workers in ATLS (Advanced Trauma Life Support). Every health worker needs to know something, if not enough, on ATLS. But as a president, I would ask the Secretary for Health: Is this something we can do on our own or someone will have to fly from London to teach us this?

Further, our lack of drugs is a bad thing. But the world out there is willing to help. There will be containers coming to us soon loaded with drugs. Yes, people pity us and they don’t want us to die. But they also have confidence in the government of JB. So, when I hear that there are loads and loads of drugs, as President, I would, in my monthly meetings with the Secretary for Health ask: are there any World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines on drug (medicines) donations? Let me see them.